Use What You Have

I came across a story from the bible today which I hadn't read in awhile. It's the story of Elisha and the widow in 2 Kings 4. The story goes like this.

There is a widow who is afraid of being sold into slavery because she is unable to pay her debts. In desperation, she calls upon the prophet Elisha for help.

                                                                      He asks her,

"Tell me, what do you have in the house?"

She responds, 

"I have nothing in the house but a jar of oil."


He instructs her to go and collect empty containers from everyone she knows. (Notice, he didn't wince at her lack of resources. He immediately went to work.) So the widow sends her sons out to do the prophet's bidding and they come home with a massive collection of empty jars. Next, Elisha tells her to shut the door and pour the oil into the containers, setting aside the full ones. She did as she was instructed and soon had a supernatural multiplication of the oil. Elisha then tells her to go and sell the oil, pay her debts and live on the rest.   

Here is what the story means for me today. I'll start with a question. 

What do you have in your house? What is your one jar of oil? What is the one thing remaining when all else is taken away? What does it all boil down to with you? What are you good at? What is it that impacts others for the good when you do it? This is the one jar of oil in your house. This is what God has "anointed" you to do, if I may use the familiar religious phraseology.   

(Keep in mind, oil is a symbol of divine empowerment, a Holy Spirit infused ability to do what God has called you to do.) 

You may only have one small jar or one simple talent, whatever it is. But when you use it according to divine instruction, it multiplies. It fills the empty jars of your neighbors and changes the situation for good. 

So start with what you have. Little as it may be, start with what you are good at. Start with what you feel God's presence in when you do it. Start with what you find impossible to stop doing. And when God gives you containers to fill, use your gift to fill them up. Get your oil from God and give it away. See what influence begins to grow. 

The widow was able to pay her debts and live off of the rest through following a prophetic unction and stepping out to do the impossible. 

We must always start with what we have access to, with what we have in our hand. We cannot wait for the big break. We cannot wait for the money to come in. We cannot wait for others to recognize our gift. We must use what we have in our hands right now and do what we are able to do, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem. 

God said to Moses in Exodus 4:2. "What do you have in your hand?" He had only a stick. But God took that stick and transformed it before his eyes, making it into a spectacle which would grab the attention of the most prominent leaders in Egypt. Later, Moses used that same stick to split the waters and march an entire nation across dry land. Samson had no sword but when the Spirit of God inspired him, he improvised with a jawbone of a donkey and won an impossible victory. 

Mother Teresa started teaching children in India by drawing with a stick in the dirt. She didn't wait for a building or government approval. She loved the unlovable and grew into sainthood through acts of charity. 

So, here is a key. 

Your gift, ability or resources alone are not enough. Your 'anointing' alone is not enough. Even your prophetic promises are not enough. The key ingredients are faith, hope and above all, LOVE. The widow had a love for protecting her sons. Moses had a love for the Hebrew slaves. Mother Teresa loved the orphans of India. 

So, here is a question: 

Who is your art meant to love? 
Who is your gift meant to serve? 
Your art is not about you. 
Your art is for others. 

Who is your art meant to love? 

Jesus had compassion on the weary people who had traveled so far to hear him speak. In his compassion, he asked, "How many loaves do you have?" And they offered him a young boy's lunch. He didn't scorn the lack. He gave thanks. In this act of thanking God for the little they had, it multiplied. Just like the widow's oil, it expanded beyond natural explanation until there was a surplus leftover. 

Peter said to the crippled beggar at the gate, "I do not have money, but what I do have, I gladly give to you." And the crippled man stood up. Peter, by giving what he had (even though it was different than what his audience expected him to give. Now, that will preach!) led to the people marveling and praising God.  

And the beautiful part is this: The widow's debts were paid. The young boy who gave his lunch ate with the five thousand. Peter saw money come out of a fish's mouth. Jesus has resources we have no clue about. The woman at the well said, "You have nothing to draw water with and the well is deep." But he said to her, "If you knew who was standing before you, you would have asked me for water instead." He told the disciples, "I have food which you know nothing about." 

When we are moved with compassion, when we follow the unction, when we use our art for love, when we start with what we have, provision finds us in the most supernatural of ways. Our gifts multiply and our debts are paid.


Comments